North European Defence Ministers Meet in Poland

Defence ministers and senior defence officials from 12 northern European countries met in Poland Monday to discuss stepping up deterrence and security on NATO’s eastern flank and strengthening Ukraine’s defences, ahead of NATO’s summer summit. They met at military facilities in Legionowo, near Warsaw, as part of the so-called Northern Group - a platform for developing security initiatives for NATO and European Union members. Officials also discussed preparations for the July NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. That summit is expected to gauge prospects for Ukraine's membership of the alliance. Recently, the US agreed to allow training on American-made F-16 fighter jets, laying the groundwork for their eventual transfer to Ukraine. Initiated by the UK in 2010, the Northern Group includes the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Poland and the three Baltic states. Germany and Norway are sending deputy defence ministers to the meeting and Iceland will be represented by a Defence Ministry director-general. (May 22) AP